Happy Birthday
by Emily Hoyt
Summary: WM-JO It was her birthday, but how could she possibly remember after that terrifying phone call?


Julia Ogden continued to bustle about the morgue, putting things away and cleaning up after the long morning they had experienced. A large accident involving a man on his bicycle and a carriage had demanded an exam to see who was at fault for the accident by the city. That was the exact phrase she had received to let her know her talents were required. When she heard it, she had nearly crumpled to the floor.

It was only when she finally arrived at the scene that she saw William crouched down beside one of the bodies. He looked up at her with a smile and nodded to her before jumping up to move to her side when she swayed. She clutched at his arm almost painfully as she tried to collect herself. He shook her lightly and she stared up at him, nodding to whatever he was saying and moving towards the body, fighting down the bile that rose at the thought of seeing William Murdoch in the mangled mess, especially on her birthday.

With a light chuckle, she untied her apron and folded it up before turning to get her things. She collected the report she needed to bring to William and turned around into a bouquet of flowers. Her gasp escaped before she could control it and she smiled.

"Oh, my! These are beautiful!" she breathed out as she nestled her nose into the blossoms, inhaling their perfume. She leaned back. "Who sent them, sir, so I can thank them myself?" she asked as she reached out to take the flowers. When she lowered them, William's large brown eyes stared back at her with a wide grin in his face. Her jaw fell to the ground and so did the flowers. They laid there for a second before she shook awake and picked them up, moving to put them quickly into a vase. When she turned around, William was still standing at the doorway.

"I take it you like them?" he asked softly and she nodded her head vigorously as she made her way back to his side. He grinned and nodded softly. "I'm glad."

"What's the occasion?" she asked with a surprised grin before she watched his eyebrows knit in confusion.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own birthday!" he burst, making her own brows furl.

"I know it's my birthday. I didn't realize you knew about it."

William gave her a light smile. "I did indeed and I was surprised to see you at the scene this morning. I would have thought they would have given you the day or give someone else the call. By the way, is everything alright?"

Julia's eyes lifted to his for a moment and she knew he was still thinking about this morning as well. She nodded, but he ignored her meek response and took her hand in his. He lifted it and looked into her eyes, shaking his head without ever saying a word. As a result, she nodded her head a few times, sniffling back tears.

"They told me a male cyclist had been involved in an accident and nothing more. I was more than a little scared," she admitted, swiping at her stray tears with the hand William was not clasping in his. The memory of his holding her hand caused her heart to skip randomly in his chest and, with a tiny tug, she tried to reclaim it, but he was not ready to let go of her hand just yet. He let a small smile skim over his lips and let his thumb begin to roam over the back of her hand.

"That's quite touching. You were worried about me. I do hope it didn't trouble you too much," he said coyly and watched as she, as predicted, swung her gaze to his with mild anger.

"Of course it troubled me! I wouldn't have almost collapsed twice if it hadn't!" she said sharply before thinking her words through. Once more, she tried to withdraw her hand from his, but he would not release her. "William…"

"Twice?" he echoed, his eyes narrowing. "When?" he asked softly, but she refused to meet his gaze. He gave her hand a little squeeze and waited until she finally lifted her eyes to his. "When?" he asked again and watched tears slip out of the corners of her eyes.

"When I got the call this morning. I thought the world had just shifted under my feet because I could barely stand up straight." Her eyes darted about the room and, after a few seconds, they returned to his with shame and anger burning behind her lashes. "Are you happy now?" she bit out, but the smile now fully across his face said that he was. He used his grip on her hand to pull her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her waist, chuckling when she gasped in surprise.

"Yes, I am," he whispered before tightening his hold on her and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She inhaled his scent and leaned her head into his chest, fighting to suppress her tears as she nestled in further. When her shoulders bounced gently, he lifted her away and saw her tears. "Julia, please don't cry," he said softly, making her smile again and look up at him.

"You called me Julia," she said gently as he wiped away her tears and grinned back. Suddenly, her gaze and smile fell and he looked at her in confusion. "William, what is this all about?" she asked gently, putting her serious face back on. He grinned once more. "Would you stop smiling cryptically and explain to me?"

"I came to deliver flowers for your birthday and find out what was wrong this morning. I decided that, should your faintness have anything to do with me, I would finally tell you how I feel about you," he said simply, making her eyes widen as she processed everything. She looked back up and saw him smile. "I love you, Julia," he breathed out, making her gasp in surprise. "I've been in love with you for a while. I just refused to tell you for fear of ruining our working relationship." Her eyes glazed over with fresh tears as he continued to speak.

"These past few days, I've been wondering if the best thing wouldn't be to just tell you and admit it, even if it wasn't reciprocated and I should need to leave the city. I was more than tired of living with this secret. Ever since the day we went to the exposition about alternating current, I've wondered what it would be like to be able to simply relax and be myself with you. Every time I've almost died since then, my only thought was 'I can't believe I didn't tell her'.

"It would seem I'm rather slow since I've nearly died several times and am only telling you now. I apologize for waiting so long and wasting so much time. All I want now is to make up for it and be honest with you. I am in love with you, Dr. Julia Ogden and I hold nothing against you if you don't feel the same."

Julia choked on her tears as she began to laugh, throwing her arms around his neck in the process. She laughed and cried against his chest, tightening her hold as he placed his arms around her. With a sighed, she looked up at him and smiled.

"I love you, too, William," she breathed out, letting out a chuckle as she felt him relax and pull her back to him. Gently, he pressed his lips to hers and listened as she whimpered into his mouth, making both their hearts flutter in their chests. He smiled and took quick, little pecks at the corners of her mouth, her chuckles of amusement boosting his confidence. She bit her lower lip for a second and, frustrated with his little kisses, took his lips with her own, surprising him for a moment before he responded, lifting his hands to cup her cheeks as the kiss grew deeper and stronger. When they parted minutes later, they panted softly with smiles.

"Happy birthday, Julia."


End file.
